Burning Midnight

Burning Midnight came to me as an unsolicited review copy. When I was looking at it to determine whether it was something I wanted to read, it did not strike me as a novel that would blow my mind. In fact, I thought it sounded only somewhat intriguing but mostly forgettable. Still, it was young adult, and it was science fiction; I am willing to put up with a rather boring synopsis for a good YA sci-fi. So, with a “What the hell” and a shrug, I dived into it and hoped for the best.

Yeah.

You know that little voice that tells you when something is a bad idea? In the case of Burning Midnight, I really should have listened to that voice. I know what McIntosh was trying to do, but he did not quite succeed in hitting his targets. By the show more time the truth behind the mysterious spheres reveals itself in a moment so eye-roll worthy as to risk eye strain, you just want to forget you ever read it.

Sully is so earnest and just too gullible for the world in which he lives. In fact, he is something of a wimp, believing what he wants to believe even when the truth is staring him in the face. I know he is the good guy, but it is almost as if he is TOO good. Alex Holliday double-crosses him badly in a life-changing transaction, something that would turn most people into complete cynics, but Sully continues to believe that everyone he encounters tells the truth and has his best interest at heart. It’s an unsettling outlook given everything he experiences. Hunter is his exact opposite, but at least her backstory explains her prickliness. In fact, I admire her more because she has learned life’s hard lessons and learned them well. Sully continues to get knocked down by them but refuses to accept what he learns. In a word, his naivety is rather pathetic.

Then there are the magical spheres. Seriously, this is the part that just makes you laugh. And laugh. And laugh again. They aren’t supposed to be humorous, but there is nothing about the story of the spheres which is not utterly ridiculous, highly predictable, and therefore totally laughable. Magic, indestructible balls that mysteriously appear one day that just happen to grant superpowers to those who use them, and NO ONE thinks that using them might be a bad idea? The people in Sully’s world must not be science fiction fans because there is nothing about this scenario which indicates it will end well. Shady, power-granting objects are never going to result in a happily-ever-after, for anyone. That is why the moment Sully and Hunter unveil what the spheres are, all you can do is sit back and just enjoy the stupidly silly ride. Because that is all it becomes at that point in time.

I have no one to blame but myself for reading this one. I could have stopped reading it at any point in time. I should have stopped reading it. Yet, Burning Midnight is like the accident away from which you cannot tear your eyes. It is one of those books that is just so ridiculous that you have to keep reading it because you want to see just how far it will go. It is almost so bad, it is good. The key word there is almost. show less

This might be a real surprise hit that everyone is going to be talking about for a long time. Or perhaps it simply should be. :) I'm not generally a YA fan, but even so, I keep running into real gems lately. Or spheres. Lots and lots of ability-granting spheres for appreciating really good stories with fascinating characters and plots that are literally impossible to put down.

I read this and skipped dinner, for heaven's sake, even forgoing a potty break because this was just that good.

I was hooked from page one and I loved thinking about all the ramifications, the pure and unadulterated wish-factor, the treasure-hunting aspect of the adventure, and the twinge of revenge and hate for being screwed over so horribly. Not that this was show more about getting revenge. Nor was it really about romance, although there was a small bit of that, too. (And no, there weren't any love triangles and the only conflicts between Hunter and David were purely interpersonal and not coming from the outside at all. Let me tell you, that was a delight. :)

Adventure! Treasure Hunt! SF wish fulfillment! And there was even a really cool twist! I mean, come on, what wish comes without a monkey's paw, right? And my horror sensibilities were laughing out loud when the moment came, so beware, all you unsuspecting chumps of readers. You thought you'd get off easy? Muahahahaha...

Seriously though, the tension never lets up. I worried about so many different things, the novel never once felt monotonous. The pacing was excellent. And can I see this as one hell of a great movie? Oh yeah. There's even a gratuitous wish-fulfillment plug from the author for just that outcome right in the story. It was so blatant and funny and the whole story is just that good that I can do nothing but wish him all the luck in the world! :) I don't say that very often. I do mean it, here. :)

What a fun ride! show less

I received a copy of the book through the publisher via NetGalley.

The back cover summary for the book mentions The Maze Runner and The Fifth Wave, but to me, Burning Midnight reads like a really gripping video game. Maybe that's because the central concept feels so video game-like to me, like materia gone real: colorful orbs have appeared all over the world. Different color orbs grant different skills, like singing ability or faster healing or improved eyesight. Some orbs are rare. Sully is a teenage kid who found a rare orb and was ripped off by a billionaire orb-peddler. Years later, his mom has lost her job, and Sully is still trying to hunt down orbs around New York City so he can help them survive. When he teams up with a girl show more named Hunter, who has a knack and a strategy for finding orbs in a rapidly-depleted world, he starts finding new rare orbs--and catches the eye of that horrible billionaire again.

The orbs do so many cool things, but there are still many unknowns: Where did they come from? What are the long-term effects on people? This certainly plays out in an interesting way in the end.

Burning Midnight is a fast read. Really. Tension really kicks in about a quarter of the way in, and after that, ZOOM. The characters are nuanced and realistic. Sully and Hunter form a great team, and I love the perspectives that their friends Dom and Mandy bring into the book. It's a darn good read for young adults on up. show less

I loved the concept behind Burning Midnight. Set in present time, earth has been populated by colored spheres that when, "burned," with the matching colored pair, the person who burned the spheres absorbs an enhancement such as higher IQ, better looking, sings beautifully, can fall asleep easily when desired, etc. People can hunt and find these spheres, but most of society buys them from shops, eBay and street markets. The ability to buy high priced spheres, such as the high IQ ones, gives mostly those who are all ready privileged an even greater advantage in life. If someone finds a high valued sphere, that person's fortune can change overnight.

This premise allowed the author to explore interesting issues, such as socio-economic show more inequalities in society, questions of authenticity and morality (should society make a distinction between a person who purchased an ability and a person who had the natural talent to, for example, play basketball exceptionally well), parents engineering their "perfect child," and the meaning behind the existence of these spheres - is it god who put them there, or is it a malevolent force?

I enjoyed the book greatly for the first three-quarters of the novel, but I had a very hard time with the ending. The resolution behind how and why these spheres came into existence was disappointing for me because it negated the more interesting questions of the novel: how these spheres affected society. I would of rather never found an answer for the why. I can think of many more satisfying conclusions for this novel, and I would even had preferred a lack of a definitive conclusion. The contrast between the intelligent issues raised by how these spheres impact human life and the quick, horror movie style ending disappointed me greatly. show less

I admit it…I’ve been hunting Pokemon with my boys. It may be silly and it may turn people into the walking dead. But for us, it’s been loads of fun. My boys are already very active and are outside riding bikes, playing basketball, or playing soccer until after dark. So I wasn’t concerned about them being more active. Rather, it has given us a lot of together time walking, talking, and laughing. Lots of laughing. This laughing has mainly been at my expense. I am not well-versed in Pokemon lore and my gaming skills are pitiful. The boys find this hilarious, but I am a good sport. Honestly, I am.

Our town is touristy and includes a National Park. For a smaller town, we have a large concentration of Poke Stops downtown, mainly in the show more National Park area. We have spent hours walking around downtown and up and down the mountain. We have laughed, talked, sampled local goodies, and ran into friends. We’ve even taken the show on the road to Kansas City (lots of Poke Stops around the Sporting KC Arena) and Springfield, MO.

When this Pokemon Go craze started, it slightly reminded me of the underlying premise of Burning Midnight. In the book, shiny and colorful spheres have appeared around the world, and people have become obsessed with hunting them. But that is where the similarities end, for hunting spheres is no game. When a person “burns” the spheres, they gain special characteristics or powers, such as the ability to sing or enhanced sense of smell. The “common” spheres have benefits like resistance to the common cold and the “rare” spheres have bigger benefits like enhanced strength or intelligence.

High school student David Sullivan (“Sully”) hunts, buys, and sells spheres on eBay and at a local flea market. David rose to fame when he found the only cherry red sphere. He sold it to business tycoon Alex Holliday for a large sum of money. However, when Holliday didn’t receive any special enhancement after burning it, he cancelled the check. In addition, his sphere dealerships are rapidly putting independent sellers, like Sully, out of business.

Sully soon meets a mysterious fellow sphere hunter ironically named Hunter. Together they develop a plan to collect and sell spheres. One night they find a gold sphere. No one has ever found one before, and suddenly they are thrust into a high stakes game of cat and mouse with Alex Holliday.

This book is straight up YA. And I have a love/hate relationship with YA. There are some YA books that I absolutely LOVE, Harry Potter and Hunger Games come to mind. And others that I don’t like (I’m not going to name any names). Anything with a whiny or entitled protagonist will drive me insane. I’m not asking for unrealistic characters, just ones that are not overtly annoying.

This was a YA book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters are not perfect. They have flaws and insecurities, and they make mistakes. But they are feelings we all remember having as teenagers. And the key here is that they learn from their mistakes. Hunter is a strong female character, and Sully treats her with respect. He also treats his mom with respect.

The action is fast-paced, the story-building is strong. I read this book quickly because I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen. This was the first book I’ve read by Will McIntosh, but I am definitely going to check out his other books. It was smart and fun, and treats adolescents like intelligent individuals. Love it.

Will my mom like it?? Probably not. She is not into science fiction or fantasy. Also, there are a lot of pop culture references that I am not sure she would get.

Favorite Passages:
“It’s weird, how strangers can become like family.”

“Exhausted from sixteen hours of driving, they checked into a Fairfield Inn with an indoor pool outside Springfield, Missouri.” (Hey, I grew up near Springfield…..any mentions of it make me laugh.”)

ARC: Burning Midnight
Author: Will McIntosh
Date Published: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press, Random House Children
Source: Net Galley show less

This book takes place in the not-so-distant future - a future in which magical spheres have inexplicably appeared all over the world. These spheres can be burned by one person, and that person receives an extraordinary gift.

In order to make enough money to help his mother pay the rent, Sully sells spheres at a flea market. When an edgy girl with an attitude and great spheres walks in, they make a deal to start hunting together.

This is by far the best YA science fiction / fantasy novel I've read in years. I knew it would be as soon as I started reading. The story pretty much starts out as a near-future mystery. Who is this girl Hunter and what's her story? Where'd the spheres come from, and why? The action starts out slow and then show more steadily rises throughout the book until an adrenaline-pumped end. And the end is where this book went up from 4 stars to 5 stars. McIntosh has achieved the unthinkable: he's wrapped up all of his loose threads in one book. It's so nice to read a reasonably non-violent, non-sexual standalone book once in a while. And this one was exceptional, with its mixture of mystery, adventure, and action.

I'd recommend this book to people anywhere from about 5th grade on up, and it's appropriate for all ages. show less

This review contains spoilers.

3.5 stars. I loved the idea and the beginning; I was hooked and couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough to satisfy my need to know more. I loved that there was a well established villain, a potential love interest, a best friend, a gay sidekick...so much potential. I won’t ruin it for you by telling you where and why I started to be less engaged because I still think you should read it. Burning midnight is a fast paced fun sci fix read about our world but with colourful spheres hidden throughout the world. These spheres, once you find a pair of them, will enhance. Enhance what you ask? Well, that depends on the colour. Each coloured sphere does something different. It’s a sellers market because the show more rarer the sphere, the more you can get for it. Using a sphere is called burning and it can only be done once. You hold them to your temples and the enhancement just melts into your body and now you own that enhancement. Cool idea. I just didn’t like the ending where you find out what the spheres really are and why they’re on the Earth. show less